KIEV, February 24. /TASS/. Authorities in Ukraine’s south-western Ivano-Frankivsk region have opened a search for about 8,000 men who are evading conscription for military service as part of the government’s yet another wave of mobilization, the Vesti news portal said on Tuesday.

Yuri Veranovsky, a deputy military commissar of the Ivano-Frankivsk regional military board told reporters the majority of those on the ‘wanted list’ were absent from the places of their official permanent residence while the mayors of rural communities refused to assist the workers of military boards in handing the call-up notifications to the designated population.

Local military commissars say many of the men, who were be drafted, had left for other countries while many others were hiding out on their private households and refusing to let anyone in.

Ukrainian legislation specifies punishment for evasion of military service. Any evader can be imprisoned for a period of up to five years.

In 2015, the Ukrainian Armed Forces hope to draft up to 200,000 conscripts as part of the fourth, fifth, and sixth waves of mobilization. Also, about 40,000 men should be drafted for regular military service.